Poetic Charm aims for French form

The Dubai World Cup Carnival enters its third week today, with the Group 2 Cape Verdi for fillies and mares the highlight of the six-race card at Meydan racetrack.

Godolphin have an excellent record in the race having won six of the last eight, and will be aiming to extend their dominance with three horses entered for the US$250,000 (Dh918,000) event over 1,600 metres on turf.

Charlie Appleby sends out Poetic Charm, while Saeed bin Suroor is double-handed with Asoof and Victory Wave. Poetic Charm, winner of four of her nine starts, leads the Royal Blues challenge in the seven-runner field. Appleby’s charge ran twice over a mile in France last year, finishing second in the Group 3 prize at Deauville in August before winning a Listed race at Longchamp, France, a month later.

The four-year-old is returning to the track for the first time since finishing 11th in the Group 3 Pin Oak Valley View Stakes at Keeneland, in the United States, in October.

“Poetic Charm showed a good level of form out in France last season, but things didn’t go right for her in Keeneland, where she was drawn very wide,” Appleby told the Godolphin website.

“She has done well out in Dubai and will be a major player if she brings her French form to the table.”

Meanwhile, Bin Suroor’s runners are stepping up in class. Asoof is the choice of Christophe Soumillon, the 10time French champion jockey who has developed a good partnership with the Emirati trainer in Dubai.

Four-year-old Asoof has won three times, all over 2,000m, in her eight starts in the UK and makes her Group race debut. “Asoof has done very well since coming out to Dubai,” Bin Suroor said. “The drop back to a mile will not be a problem and I am hoping for a decent performance.”

Five-year-old Victory Wave has won four times in nine starts also in the UK, and will be ridden by apprentice Kevin Stott.

“She has come on for her first run of the year and has been working well,” Bin Suroor said. “This is a step up and she is coming up against some nice fillies, but I am looking for a good run.”